Grasping for freedom
by Yellow Words
Summary: A small prompt about Fenris and lady Hawke.


A/N - A prompt I made for about Fenris and Lady Hawke from Dragon Age 2. The theme is 'Freedom'.

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The months passed and slowly he started to get used to it. He no longer stormed away in anger or swore loudly. The hurtful remarks he used to speak had dried out. He was starting to get used to it.

He had spent weeks trying to figure out why she always touched his cheek ever so softly. She did not behave this way around anyone else. He thought that she was taking pity on him, like so many had done before her. Pity on the poor elf with lyrium in his veins. That was when he stopped being puzzled by her behavior and started to hate it. Blinded by rage he resorted to hurtful and snide remarks about her and anything that would cause her to sigh and walk away. He had promised himself never to let anyone take pity on him again, he was stronger than that.

A laugh filled the night and her touch followed and he sighed. No real words were spoken between them anymore. She passed by, followed closely by Varric, as they made their way to the campfire. Her touch had became part of his life, a routine. It followed him wherever he went.

She had proved herself to be trustworthy. Together they had dealt with ghosts from his past and in a way she had set him free. He had been searching for true freedom ever since his escape but now when he had it in his grasp - he had stayed.

Sometimes he thought about apologizing to her for everything he had said. It was said in anger and it was nothing he really meant. A voice inside him always stopped him and convinced him that he had burnt that bridge. He had misjudged her and her intentions. While he still did not know why she kept touching him he knew that it was not out of pity. He sighed and looked at the pair by the fire. The dwarf had pulled out a bottle of wine and was in the middle of telling one of his many stories.

He noticed the ease with which they talked and he could hear her laughing while Varric kept retelling the story. There was light in her eyes but something was still missing. A hand clapped around his shoulder and he jerked back from his reverie.

"You should talk to her." Isabela said, looking at the pair sitting by the fire. She was met by a snort.

"About what, pirate?" It came out harsher than he meant.

"Men." Isabela snorted. "Always so slow to realize what needs to be done." She walked towards the fire and sat down by the dwarf, taking a healthy sip of from the wine bottle.

Another sigh escaped from him as he made up his mind. Annoying as she was he could not deny that she was right. She seemed to be that a lot. As he walked up to the fire Hawke's eyes followed his every move, something he did not fail to notice. Whether it was a good or bad sign - he could not decide. He stood there quietly while he tried to find the right words.

"Are ye' joining us or not elf?" Varric asked, peeved to be interrupted in the middle of a story.

Ignoring the dwarf he looked at Hawke. "May I speak to you?"

She nodded her head but made no sign to get up and he had to fight the eyeroll he felt coming. "In private." He clarified.

Looking slightly stunned she got up and started to follow him. They had not spoken, just the two of them, in a long while.

"Hurry up lass or you'll miss the best part of the story!" Varric shouted behind them.

He led a way through the trees until he was certain they could speak and not be overheard by the others. Once again he was struggling to find the right words. Nervously he put his hands in his pockets and looked everywhere but at her.

"Fenris?" When she got no response she stepped closer and put her hand on his cheek, that always got a reaction from him.

Unprepared for the contact he drew in a breath and fought the urge to take a step back. He figured it was best to face the fear and not prolong it so he met her eyes.

"I want to.." He said quietly as he took another deep breath to calm his nerves. He had not thought this through. What if she refused to accept his apology?

.."apologize." He said at last. With his heart in his throat he watched her reaction. It shifted from surprised to confused.

"For what?" She stuttered. This was not what she had been expecting.

He could not back down now. "For the way I have been treating you. My anger does not belong to you."

A small smile formed on her lips. "Thank you Fenris. Would you please join us by the fire?" She started to walk back but turned around and placed a featherlight kiss on his cheek.

Once she was out of sight the corners of his mouth turned upwards. They might not be the closest of friends yet but he had started building that bridge.

"...And by the time the campfire had died down Fenris was tasting the lovely lady's wine." Varric winked and grinned. "Ye' get it? The lovely lady's wine." A boyish giggle escaped the dwarf. "That elf is a real smooth-talker. I've never seen a lady swoon so fast."

Cassandra slammed her fist into a nearby table. For a moment she played with the thought of leaving. Of finding some other way to stop the approaching war. Did she really need to know everything about the champion? Yes, if she wanted the land to be safe and the smug dwarf knew this and was not making things easy for her.

"Bullshit!" She screamed out in frustration. "Tell me what really happened."


End file.
